Bedtime
by Jules9
Summary: Alison misses Rafe more than she can stand, especially at bedtime...


Alison tossed and turned restlessly. Try as she might, she simply could not get to sleep.  
  
The king-sized bed creaked as she tried yet another position. Shifting to her right side, Alison pulled the pillow below her head closer to her face. She shut her eyes for a few moments, hoping for the best.  
  
Alison's frustration finally got the best of her, and she shot up in bed.  
  
"Ugh!" she exclaimed, smacking her pillow against the bed's wooden headboard. "Why can't I just get some sleep?"  
  
She knew why. He wasn't there. Earlier that day, her love, her angel, her best friend had left her, and he was never coming back.  
  
"Oh, Rafe..."  
  
Alison sighed, causing a loose strand of blond hair to flutter in front of her face. She leaned backward against the headboard and clutched the pillow to her chest.  
  
"You've only been gone a few hours, and I miss you already... so much."  
  
Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander back... back to the time when she and Rafe were together, when she never had any trouble sleeping.  
  
Every night they would brush their teeth together, their eyes darting from their reflections in the bathroom mirror to the figure standing next to them. Silently, they would race the other to see who could get ready for bed the fastest. (Bedtime was their favorite time of day, for obvious reasons.)  
  
Rafe would always win. He'd glance at her, smirking, and put his toothbrush back in its holder. He'd then step out into the bedroom to finish the rest of his evening ritual.  
  
Alison didn't mind losing. She'd quickly finish brushing her teeth and wash her face before following him into the bedroom. There she'd slide softly into bed, careful not to disturb him. She knew he wouldn't mind the distraction, but she preferred watching him.  
  
Every night before he went to sleep, Rafe would complete one hundred sit-ups and push-ups, respectively. He claimed the routine was a leftover from the training he learned during his slayer days, a habit he simply couldn't break. Alison thought it was sexy.  
  
She'd watch as his muscular body, covered only in a pair of sweatpants, moved up and down. His movements were methodical, each lasting only a few seconds. The seconds she spent watching him, she decided, definitely made the wait worth it.  
  
Depending on the circumstances, the two would make love or simply drift off to sleep. As much as she enjoyed making love to him, Alison almost preferred the nights when he just held her.  
  
On those nights, Rafe would finish his exercises, shut off the bedside light, and climb in bed next to her. Alison would lie down, positioning herself between his strong arms. She'd snuggle against his warm body, resting her head on his defined chest.  
  
His heartbeat always quickened when she did this. Perhaps it was a result of his exercises, or maybe it was just because of her closeness. Alison didn't know, and she didn't care. All she knew was that his heart was beating; he was alive.  
  
The pair would lie there, whispering to each other in the dark, before drifting off to sleep. Those were the times Alison knew she'd miss the most...  
  
Now Rafe was gone, and Alison was all alone. It just wasn't fair!  
  
Alison looked down at the pillow she clutched. Tiny water droplets contrasted against the light blue fabric that covered it. She was crying.  
  
"Oh, come on, Alison," she scolded herself, and she tossed the pillow onto the carpeted floor beside her.  
  
Sighing again, she lay back down on the bed. Positioning herself diagonally across the cotton sheets, she snuggled against the other pillow, Rafe's pillow. God, it still smelled like him...  
  
Alison realized sadly that that was it. There was no turning back.  
  
Rafe was gone. Never again would she fall asleep, nestled in his arms and listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart.  
  
That torturous thought was the last to cross her mind as her body finally succumbed to her wishes, and she drifted off to sleep... 


End file.
